As part of their Classics Illustrated series, Gilberton published Prehistoric World in 1962.

It takes the reader from the beginning of life, through the age of dinosaurs, into the age of mammals, and ends with a detailed look at prehistoric man. Within its 100 pages, we also learn about many key people who shaped the study of prehistoric life.

Like this:

Last year we shared a page from Ka-zar that empowered you – with the miracle of primitive, analog technology – to Make Your Own Sabretooth Tiger. But you know, we just couldn’t bring ourselves to cut up our only copy of Ka-zar #18. Not until we found another copy for 33 cents in the bargain bin, that is! Now Zabu can hang out on our desk, making every day a day in the Savage Land.

Today’s gallery showcases the complete 1967 booklet “Sinclair and the Exciting World of Dinosaurs.” Another one of Sinclair‘s famous free dinosaur promos, this one’s packed with great paintings on every page.

Since 1967, paleontology has updated our vision of these magnificent creatures. In 2005, for example, we found evidence of feathers on the tail of a tyrannosaur. William Stout included this incredible update in his tyrannosaur mural at the San Diego Natural History Museum. Now we conceive of their tails not dragging heavily on the ground, but in far more alert and active poses. Still, these 1960s paintings are a lot of fun.

Thank you to reader Edward Dietrich who, in 2017, told me of an earlier printing of this booklet dated 1964, released for the Sinclair Dinoland exhibit at the New York World’s Fair, 1964-1965. He sent the following three images, which are that edition’s cover and two additional pages illustrating the exhibit.

Thank you to reader Mark Menendez who, in 2012, used the power of enlargement to find the artist’s signature in these images and identify him: Matthew Kalmenoff. The American Museum of Natural History says:

Matthew Kalmenoff (1905-1986)

“Kal,” as he was known to his fellow artists, was employed at the AMNH from the 1950s through the early 1970s. His work can be found in the Hall of North American Forests, the renovated Hall of North American Birds, and in the Small Mammal Corridor of the Hall of North American Mammals.

Reader Edward Dietrich adds that Kalmenoff also contributed color illustrations to a wonderful Golden Stamp Book book I loved when I was a kid: Animals of the Past. Thank you for reminding me off this forgotten treasure, and revealing its connection to the Sinclair booklet! Collectors and prehistoric animal enthusiasts can sometimes find this book on eBay and Amazon.

cover art by Charles McVicker

Smilodon! by Matthew Kalmenoff

Kalmenoff’s paintings from this 1970s book, along with black and white line drawings by Robert Gartland, appear to be recycled from a 1950s edition called The Golden Play Book of Animals from the Past Stamps. You can find scans of many of that edition’s interior pages and stamps at the blog Love in the Time of Chasmosaurs.

a page of Kalmenoff’s stamps from the 1950s edition

a page from the 1950s edition

Kalmenoff’s painted mosasaur stamp rocks my world. I want a wall-sized version. And how can you not love the Skull of Uinta Beast? It’s a doom metal album cover! This is a charming book even if it makes numerous outdated statements about dinosaur biology, such as depicting brontosaurs spending all their time in water. For a more current take on brontos, you’ll need Ted Rechlin’s awesome graphic novel, Jurassic.

WOW! If, after all that, you are dying to see more paleoart from Matthew Kalmenoff, you’ll dig his black-and-white drawings from the 1956 book, All About Strange Beasts from the Past (written by Roy Chapman Andrews). Yes, you can find it on Amazon. But for samples of the interior, visit DinosaurHome, where we got the following images. If you thought Kalmenoff’s “Skull of Uinta Beast” stamp was doom metal, then check these out!

No collection of pure dinosaur comics is complete without the mother of all dinosaur comics, Young Earth!

You will find included with today’s four-page tale Creatures of the Grassland the single page The Misfits. No, not Glen Danzig’s old band! We’re talking about Titanotherium and Megatherium! With special guest appearances by Glyptodon, Smilodon, Alticamelus, Promerychochoerus, and more!

What’s with all the -theriums? Therium comes from a word that translates as ‘beast.’ And we don’t mean that in the somewhat monstrous connotation it carries today. It’s just a synonym for animal – as in, birds and beasts. So, MegaTherium = big beast; BrontoTherium = thunder beast; BaluchiTherium = uhhh… still working on that one, folks.

And that wraps up our presentation of the complete prehistoric mammal stories from Young Earth, Turok Son of Stone issues #1-69. We’ll be back for more Young Earth with a complete gallery of the dinosaur stories from these issues. If you thought prehistoric mammals were awesome, just wait until we look at the terrible reptiles! YES!

No collection of pure dinosaur comics is complete without the mother of all dinosaur comics, Young Earth! Young Earth appeared in the golden age comic, Turok Son of Stone. Published first under the Dell imprint and then by Gold Key, Turok sees the light of day again in an archival reprint series by Dark Horse. We will share with you the complete original educational series of dinosaurs, prehistoric mammals, and other animals of prehistoric earth. Enjoy!

Today’s gallery features all of the black and white prehistoric mammal pieces from the inside covers of Turok Son of Stone, Issues #1-69: Smilodon, Mastodon, Baluchitherium, Wooly Mammoth, and the ancestor of the horse.

Though not labeled as part of the Young Earth full color stories, these make excellent companion pieces for prehistoric mammal enthusiasts. Enjoy and mutate!

The 1980s were not kind to our dinosaur-riding, smilodon-loving jungle hero Ka-zar. But, we did get a few good stories about Zabu, who was always the one we liked more anyway. Artists like Gil Kane and Val Mayerik contributed to the back up stories “Tales of Zabu” that traced the tiger’s life from a cub to his first mate to his first encounters with the future lord of the Savage Land.

Plus, we got this totally awesome page you could cut out and fold to make your own Zabu! Print it out and send us a pic of your own sabretooth! (Yes, I did it.)

Rock the black & white artwork by John Byrne and Terry Austin in one of our favorite comic book scenes of all time: Wolverine having a chat with Zabu the sabretooth tiger, a constant companion of Ka-Zar.
Dig the full color version with bonus material!